Parquet board is considered a safe and environmental building material, which is used for flooring. The composition contains wood, which can be exposed to adverse and destructive factors. Therefore, after a while, you can notice a rather characteristic crunch and creak of parquet.
To remove excess sounds is quite possible, and often you do not even need to disassemble the parquet masonry. However, first you need to determine for what reason the creak of the parquet appears.
Squeak localization
Before repairing the parquet, it is important to first determine the localization of the squeak. In particular, the problem may be that:
- friction of the planks occurs;
- the substrate lags behind the concrete base;
- logs crack.
There are a lot of reasons for the appearance and area of appearance of an unpleasant creak. That is why, before starting to fix the problem, it is necessary to determine its root cause as accurately as possible, and then decide how to eliminate the creak of the floor.
Causes
Many people wonder why the old parquet is creaking and how to solve this problem. Since it is made of wood, it can be negatively affected by various external factors. Also, a lot depends on the installation features, so often an unpleasant sound can appear immediately after laying such a floor. The appearance of a creak immediately after the repair work can be triggered by such reasons as:
- uneven cement screed;
- improper arrangement of fiberboard materials and their loose fit to the floor;
- violation of the location of the lag and their defects;
- errors during the installation process;
- poor and low-quality substrate;
- wrong glue or mastic.
In addition to problems that relate to laying, it is also possible to note a strong drying of the board, which may be due to:
- complete absence or insufficient drying of the parquet board;
- high or low humidity in the room in which the installation is carried out, as well as frequent temperature changes;
- poor waterproofing of the room.
If the floor is creaking, what to do can be determined only after the exact installation of the cause of a similar problem.
How to eliminate a creak
If the panel flooring creaks, what to do, very many are interested, as this can be a sign of various defects. You can completely remove the characteristic sound by replacing the entire cover. Carrying out repair and restoration work is quite complicated and often completely useless. It is recommended to contact specialists who can competently assess the situation and carry out the installation of parquet with a guarantee.
If the floorboard is made of natural material, then after a while an unpleasant creak appears, which may be associated with installation features or increased humidity. At the first sign of parquet bloating, carefully or partially disassemble the parquet to dry the substrate and concrete base. Then you need to check the level of dryness of the screed. If the problem cannot be resolved in this way, you may need to replace the flooring.
You can also use non-separable troubleshooting methods. In particular:
- pump the adhesive mixture with a syringe under the coating;
- fix the wooden elements to the base with screws;
- install the pin in the base.
The maximum benefit of such methods of eliminating squeaking in a room largely depends on the floor design itself and the particularity of fixing the coating.
Base leveling
Answering the question of what can be done so that parquet does not creak, we can offer to carry out work to level the floor. If it is uneven or has some other defects, then after a while a creak will appear.
To prevent this, you need to accurately plan and set the required distance between the concrete base itself and the floor. This will subsequently prevent the occurrence of unpleasant sounds. In order not to have to make major repairs and replace parquet, it is necessary to fix the problem areas.
This situation can be avoided both with high-quality installation of the floorboard by professional masters, and independently. Most importantly, adhere to certain installation rules. If the base of the floor is of poor quality, then it must be completely dismantled and the following steps performed:
- clean the base from dirt and dust;
- flush the surface with water;
- perform a new screed.
The drying of the cement composition must occur within three weeks. If you carry out installation work on a new flooring earlier than this time, then the concrete base can quickly deform, which in the future will lead to the destruction of parquet. At the next stage, it will be possible to proceed with the installation of a substrate and a parquet board.
After the work done, you can get rid of the creak and extend the period of operation of the floor covering. Even the smallest elevation difference can lead to a characteristic creak. To fix this problem, you need to perform such actions as:
- remove the parquet;
- clean the base to remove dust and dirt;
- lay the substrate and fix it with glue;
- to install a parquet board.
As a substrate, it is recommended to use polystyrene or foam materials. If you use cork or paper, then during operation they can quickly become moldy.
Screed
What to do if parquet creaks in the apartment with an improperly chosen screed is of great interest to many, since a similar problem is encountered quite often. In this case, unpleasant sounds appear shortly after installing the floor. It is possible to correct this situation if you perform a number of measures:
- dismantle the boards in the creaking area;
- drill a hole in the parquet with a diameter of 10 mm around the perimeter of the room with an interval of 1-1.5 m;
- make a cement mortar and pour it into the prepared holes;
- repeat the same actions in a day.
This will help to create support for the parquet board, which will be much denser to fit to the screed, which will ensure that there are no sounds when moving around the room.
Parquet troubleshooting
Restoring the Christmas tree flooring is considered quite time-consuming and time-consuming, since such a floor covering quickly breaks down and can hardly be restored. The problem may be that the boards do not fit too tightly to the lags or have cracked and the layers of planks have spread.
In the first case, you must initially indicate the location of the lag, and then tighten the shields tightly to them. In the corners, make holes with a depth of 15-20 mm. Then drill holes through the shield and lag. Insert plastic expansion plugs into them, and then screw in the screws. The hat should fully fit into the parquet. Fill the remaining hole with a wooden cork and cover with putty to match the parquet. All this procedure should be carried out only with those shields that publish a creak.
If the individual layers of the planks are separated, then the boards at the base can crack or crack. As a result of this, parquet planks begin to rub and make a creaky sound. This problem is quite difficult to fix. This can only be done by replacing it.
It happens that many people neglect the requirements for work to level the floor screed. As a result, plywood is laid on an uneven floor. As a result of mechanical loads, it exfoliates from the concrete base and a characteristic creak appears.
You can fix the problem by pumping cement mortar or foam into the plywood. In addition, you can screw the parquet with the substrate to the base with screws.
If the floor is creaking, what to do - very many people are interested in this question, since this sound is very annoying. Between the wooden coating and the wall there must be a seam of at least 15 mm, which runs along the entire perimeter of the room. If the installation of the parquet floor was carried out without observing this important rule, with a difference in humidity and temperature, the slats begin to press one against the other. To eliminate such a defect, you just need to cut around the entire perimeter of the room 15-20 mm of parquet and substrate.
Resolving Other Issues
When hardwood floor creaks, not everyone knows what to do. However, it is very important to fix this problem as soon as possible. The reason for this may be the incorrect location of the lags or their insufficiently good quality. Initially, you need to carefully inspect the logs for damage. If there are no visible defects, then you need to conduct a thorough check for waterproofing and thermal insulation of the floor. It is also important to know the distance between the individual lags. If it is more than 30 cm, then there may be a creak and a crunch of the parquet board.
It is advisable to entrust the installation of the floor to specialists in order to avoid unpleasant consequences. Many people wonder when parquet creaks, what to do without opening the floor. In this case, you need to fix the board using self-tapping screws.
If the floorboard has departed from the base, a rather unpleasant characteristic sound may also appear. It can be a crunch, creak, pops. Eliminate an existing defect by replacing the entire floor. However, there is another, simpler way.
It is necessary to note the sections of the floor where a creak is clearly heard. Stick on top of the tape to protect it from damage. Then drill a hole with a drill and fill them with special glue. After it has completely dried, remove the tape from the floor surface. Put something heavy in the place where the holes were made and leave for a day. Then close the holes with materials that are correctly selected according to the shade.
Repair work
How to fix parquet so that it does not creak, quickly and efficiently? You can fix this violation in several different ways. The cardinal decision is to completely disassemble the old coating. To do this, the parquet is cleaned, the basis for laying is prepared and the floor is repaired. Then the coating is ground and covered with a fresh layer of varnish. Overhaul of parquet is a long and laborious process, which is associated with significant financial costs and requires a lot of time.
If the floorboard creaks and crunches when walking, it means that the room has a low level of humidity or an elevated air temperature, as a result of which the coating is drying up. Cracks can be removed with putty. You need to choose a paste so that it matches the color of the coating. Cracks must be carefully coated, not forgetting to finish polishing and varnishing. Casein glue, in which sawdust is added, is ideally suited for the restoration of parquet defects.
Parquet Care
It is important not only to know if parquet is creaking, what to do, but also how to properly care for this type of flooring. Observe rules such as:
- carefully monitor the level of humidity at any time of the year;
- conduct regular cleaning in the house;
- Do not allow parquet to come in contact with a large amount of liquid;
- you need to wash the floor with a damp cloth;
- wear special pads on sharp furniture legs.
Proper care of the parquet is very important, as this allows you to increase the service life of the flooring, eliminate crunch and creak.
Professional Tips
In order to carry out all the required installation work correctly and not involve professional builders in this, several important recommendations of specialists should be taken into account. Gradually, the fasteners weaken, resulting in crackling and creaking. This can also be due to poor fit to the lags. In the case of the formation of large gaps, you can try to fix the problem with the help of wooden wedges.
If the boards creak as a result of friction, then graphite powder can be poured into the space between them. If the boards still continue to creak even after such a repair of the coating, then they can be more carefully secured with screws.
Squeak Prevention
When parquet creaks, it is important to know what needs to be done in a similar situation, and also to keep in mind methods to prevent such a problem. It is important to take appropriate measures in a timely manner so that you do not have to make a global repair. It is also necessary to know how to lay parquet so that it does not creak. This requires reliable and high-quality material. From wood, oak, maple, ash or beech are best suited. You should also take care of a quality adhesive mixture for laying parquet.
It is recommended to entrust the work of laying the flooring to specialists who take into account absolutely all the nuances. It is important to ensure evenness of the surface for the installation of parquet boards. It is best to cover the floor in a room with self-leveling mixes.
To prevent the occurrence of squeaking, it is necessary to provide competent care for the parquet. In the room you need to create optimal conditions for this type of coating.